Island Roads will be carrying out major highway improvement work in Tennyson Road, Freshwater, next week.

The work will involve tackling the underlying ground conditions that have caused the surface to deteriorate over the years. This requires deeper-than-usual excavations, which means that the road will be closed as a through route throughout the project. However, Island Roads intends to reopen the road at weekends, from Friday evening until Monday morning, as long as it is safe to do so.

The scheme is due to begin on October 12 and finish on October 23.

Throughout the scheme, vehicular access to properties will be maintained where it is safe to do so, and access to Freshwater Fire Station will be maintained at all times. Island Roads has also visited businesses with rear access via Tennyson Road and will work with them to minimise the impact of the work.  The Isle of Wight Council have agreed to suspend enforcement in Avenue Road car park for the duration of the works.

To keep the diversion as short as possible during the work, a temporary traffic plan will be in operation. This will include making the section of the High Street between Avenue Road and Silcombe Lane one-way.

A spokesperson for Island Roads, who deliver the Island’s highway services in collaboration with the Isle of Wight Council, said: “The community knows that this work is very much needed and by strengthening the road’s foundations, we hope to both bring about immediate improvement while also reducing the need for further improvement work in the future.

“But this sort of work unfortunately cannot be carried out without some level of disruption and we would like to thank businesses and residents in advance for their understanding.”